Electrolytic cleaning apparatus



fig. 4.

. 9, 1948. c. K. TURNER ELECTROLYTIC CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 5, 1942 INVENTOR 1 atented Apr. Q, 1946 ELECTROLYTIC CLEANING Arrarwros Charles K. Turner, Broadview Heights, Ohio, as-

signor to The American Steel and Wire Co pany of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jer- Application August 5, 1942, Serial No. 453,738

- In accordance with the present invention, there are provided certain improvements in the electrolytic cleaning of ferrous metal shapes, particularly steel wire and rod, which'customarily are handled in bundles, wherein higher efliciencies are obtained both from the standpoint of better cleaning and also from the standpoint of current consumption.

In the anodic cleaning of steel rod and wire,

v the work, in bundles or coils, is placed upon a suitable electrode support and made the cathode in an electrolyte of fused caustic soda. In practice it is found to be essential that every ring of the bundle receives suflicient current to produce the desired effect throughout the coil. This is true whether the electrolyte is a molten caustic bath, or whether some other cleaning bath is employed, and consequently the features which represent the improvements of the present invention-are of general applicability.

In the cathodic cleaning of bundles of rod or wire, it is found to be essential that every ring of eachbundle receives suflicient current to produce the desired eflect throughout the coil or bundle; and optimum results with respect to both quality and efliciency would be obtained if every minute surface area of the coil could be treated simultaneously with identical current densities.

While of course these optimum results cannot actually be obtained in practice, nevertheless it is found in practice that the optimum conditions may be approached it means are provided to insure each ring of the coil having solid contact sodium, which has a high amnit'y for oxygen, is produced at the cathode surface in a quantity directly proportional to the quantity of current passed through the surface of the cathode.

The rings of wireresting on the negatively charged metal support hook obviously carry the most current,.re duce the most, and clean the fastest. Those rings with the poorest electrical contact, and which may not even be touching the supporting hook, require much 'longer to clean 4 and thus the total cleaning time would be controlled by the poorest contacts.

To assure all of the rings cleaning equally fast in the shortest possible time, in accordance with the present invention, there are provided certain improvementsih the construction of an electrode hanger adapted to receive a bundle or coil of wire or the like, the hanger including instrumentalb ties for effectively clamping each turn of the coil on the hanger. I The invention will be ;understood more readily from the accompanyin drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of one form of p the invention, an electrolytic tank, in which the with a common terminal which generally is the bar or hoop upon which the work is resting. I

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided improved means for assuring and maintaining approximately equal pressure to each ring or convolution of a coil or bundle at its point of contact with the support therefor, thus tending to equalize thecurrent flow to every ring or the bundle.

The importance of equal current flow to every ring manifests itself where speed of completion reaction time is desired. In the case of unequal current distribution throughout the coil, parts of the bundle willbe reacted upon more rapidly than others. In such a case, the shortest reac-- tion completion time is equal to the longest in-- dlvldual reaction time.

The application of this fact becomes apparent uponcleaning' tough oxides from stainless steel wire by an electrolytic treatment in molten caustic soda. which is accomplished by the reduction of metallic sodium-at the cathode surface.

improved hanger of the invention is hung, being shown in fragmentary section, abundle of wire being positioned as shown;

Figure 2 is an end view of the construction of Figure .1, the tank being omitted;

Figure 3 is an end view of a clampingmember employed in the present improved construction; and

Figure 4 is a view of one of several similar tie vrods for operating the clamping members employed in the construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawing. and first to Figures 1 through 4," A represents a fragment of an electrolytic cleaning tank, while B represents a hanger frame for mounting the support or hanger for the work being cleaned.

The tank A is provided with conductor bus bars 8, which are intended to supply current to the frame B byway of connector bar's it on the frame. v v

The frame gB comprises a top cross beam 62 to which are bolted angle plates 98 which form mountings for the bus bars Iii. A plate so is welded to the beams is for mounting a lifting eye It.

Depending from the beam i2 is the hanger II, which preferably is shaped as shown, that is. the bar-[forming the hook is provided with a reverse bend to form a; U-shaped bracket having its horizontal electrode arm i2 extending to a substantial distance across the tank and being sufficiently long to enable the bundle 24 of wire.

to be cleaned to be placed thereon with the convolutions of the coil separated so that each separate ring has room to make contact with one another. The end of the holder 22 is formed into a hook 26 which retains the bundle on the holder 22 during opening of the bundle on the holder.

On opposite sides of the bundle 24 are the clamping members 28, whichmro joined together by spaced rods 30, which are threaded at-their ends, as is indicated at 32, for receiving pressure-responsive nuts. 34 which actuate the clamping members 28 responsively to pressure exerted thereon by tightening the nuts to move these members relative to the bundle 24, a rod 30 being positioned at each end of the bundle and also at the middle of the holder. I'hese clamping members are triangular in cross section, as will be apparent from the drawing, the apex of the resulting pyramid making a line contact with all of the turns of wire of the bundle 24. As will be apparent from the drawing, the clamping members are positioned on the bundle so that the rods 30 touch the holder 22 therebeneath, the position being such that as the nuts 34 are moved towards each other on the rods 30, the bundle becomes compressed and each separate turn of wire is pressed closely against the hanger arm 22 so that an even distribution of current ensues.

It will be seen that the current passes from bus bars a into contact bars III into frame 13, thence through the hanger 2|! and bundle 24, thence through the electrolyte. Consequently, it will be seen that since each turn of wire of the bundle is making contact with the arm 22,

.and since each turn is held positively in tight engagement with the arm 22, the entire bundle is subjected to uniform cleaning.

When the bundle of wire or rods has been clamped into position in this way on the contact arm 40, -a crane or hoist then lifts the .entire assembly through means of the ring eye It and positions it in the fused caustic tank so that the bus bars III of the hook assembly make contact with the corresponding bus bars on the top of the tank. The weight of the hook assembly with its load of wire affords sui'flcient pressure to assure good contact between the bus bars of the hook assembly and the bus bars of the tank.

It has been found in practice thatwitlf the even contact of each coil of a bundle with the current carrying holder, a uniform cleaning and rate of cleaning is obtained, the entire bundle being cleaned very efllciently, as contrasted with long cleaning times experienced with uneven contact between the coils of the. bundle and the current carrying support therefor.

The invention is simple and rugged in construction and very uniform results are obtained in practice when utilizing the hanger construction herein illustrated and described, which is provided with means for positively clamping each coil of a bundle of wire or rod into tight engagement with the holder for the bundles.

I claim:

1. Electrolytic cleaning apparatus comprising, in combination, an electrically conductive frame, a holder carried by the frame and including a horizontally extending electrically conductive contact arm adapted to receive a bundle of wire to be cleaned, the said arm being sufliciently long to hold the bundle when expanded so that successive coils thereof are separated from contact one with another, adjustable clamping means for the arm extending lengthways thereof, the said clamping means comprising edged bars extending substantially parallel to the arm and adapted to engage all convolutions of the bundle in a substantially line contact for pulling them tightly against the arm, and means for adjustably positioning the bars relative to the bundle being cleaned.

2. Electrolytic cleaning apparatus comprising, in combination, an electrically conductive frame, a holder carried by the frame, the holder includ ing a horizontally extending electrically conductive contact arm adapted to receive a bundle of wire to be cleaned, the said arm being sumciently long to hold the bundle when expanded so that successive coils thereof make close contact with the arm, adjustable clamping means for the arm extending lengthways thereof, the said clamping means comprising bars extending substantially parallel to the electrode arm, the bars being triangular in cross section each with its apex engaging all turns of the coils of the bundle to make line contact therewith, and adjusting means for actuating the bars to bring them into clamping engagement with all of the turns of the bundle to force the coils into uniform sides of the arm and extending substantially parallel to the arm and adapted to engage all of .the said annular shapes in substantially line contact, tie rods bridging the said edged bars transversely of the arm and adapted to contact the said arm, and means coacting with the said tie rods for causing relative movement of the said bars toward and away from each other so as to force the said bars to move in a generally vertical direction relative to the said wor'kpie'ce and thereby move the said rods into and out of contact with the said contact arm. CHARLES K. TURNER. 

